tablesaw

At least 14 people here seem to like it.

http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/product/2039

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It’s the king of the POS. I’ve documented my journey with the R4512, and I am both happy and sad to report that journey is coming to a close pretty soon.

Preface
My wife and I do a lot of woodworking and spend several hours every day in the shop. This tablesaw has seen a lifetimes worth of use that your run-of-the-mill hobbyist would subject it to. I am a perfectionist when it comes to care and maintenance, so the saw is always in pristine condition.
Let me get right into it. We’ve all seen a ton of reviews on this saw. I have some bad things to say but overall this is the only contractor hybrid I would purchase. The options from Grizzly, JET, Laguna, Rikon, Steel City, Porter Cable and host of others don’t really compare. They look better on paper but I cannot justify to anyone the at least 100% price increase over the R4512. Unless you are getting a full 3hp, 240v only cabinet saw, this is what I would start with.
Mine will be on Craigslist soon (with a ton of sleds, ZCI’s and accessories) as I decided to upgrade to a sawstop professional.

PROS

Plenty of power for a 115v saw. I mainly work with exotics in the 2000+ Janka range. There are very few times I wished for more power. Proper blade selection plays a big role here. This saw performs well with premium segment (Forrest, Infinity, Freud Premiere, Tenryu) thin kerf blades. The included blade is trash. Don’t even use it. Go to a craft store and get a clock movement to put in the arbor hole. It will look sweet on your wall. Special purpose blades perform better then general purpose (i.e. 24 tooth glue line rip for rip, 50 tooth combos for plywood and non critical cross cuts, 80 tooth for cross cuts)
The mobile base. This is the best mobile base I have ever used on a tool period – aftermarket or included
The top. The cast iron is surprisingly flat for a cheap saw. Also the stamped steel extesnions look really flimsy, but are surprisingly solid and true once the saw is assembled.
The fence extrusion. I love the extrusion. T slots everywhere, locks down hard. Too bad the rails suck (more below)

CONS

Initial blade alignment is a PITA because of the table mounted trunions. It is doable, just use a bar clamp to move guts and hold it in place while tightening. My saw has no run out at all.
The fence rails. This is one of the main reasons I am upgrading soon. The fence rails are two pieces held together by set screw blocks. Over time the joints loosen. This causes your fence to become out of parallel with the blade and out of square with the table when locked down in the 0” to 3” range. Not only is accuracy compromised, but it creates a kickback hazard. This is really a showstopper for me. If I were to keep this saw, I would add an aftermarket fence system like the Delta T2 or the Incra LS-TS. Every 3 to 5 months I have to take the rails off, “fix” them, realign the steel extensions, then realign the fence.
Dust collection. It’s a polite suggestion. There are so many holes and openings in the cabinet you basically only capture the dust that falls directly into the chute. I spend a lot of time blowing dust down the chute into the DC. With a ZCI there is a ton of dust that makes it over the table, but this is the case on any saw. Drill some holes in it or use an overarm guard with DC built in.
Overall fit and finish. Not great, but then again it was not designed for what I really put it through. The riving knife becomes impossible to lock/unlock over time (very common complaint). The force required generally loosens the armature and requires tightening of the set screws – which also requires repositioning the riving knife. Major PITA.
The height adjustment and bevel adjustment screws require frequent cleaning (due to extremely poor dust collection).
In Summary
If you are a hobbyist with either/or financial or electrical constraints (no 240v available), this is the best saw to buy. The competitors start around $900 – which is twice the price of this. I cannot see spending $900.00 on a contractor saw when an entry level 3hp cabinet saw can be had for a few hundred more

-- https://pinepointwoodworks.wordpress.com/

I have one I’ll give you as soon as I can afford its replacement.
It’s a real POS though. Hate the damn thing.
PRO:
Looks good, runs quiet and smooth, no runout, plenty of power (with a good blade).
CON:
Two piece rail with alignment problems as mentioned above., trunion to miter slot changes alignment EVERY time the blade height is changed. Difficult to align, then won’t stay that way.

The warranty is worthless unless you live near one of the two repair centers spread across the country. Who wants to pack and ship a 250lb bulky fragile machine every time something breaks, or as in my case is defective from the factory?
There are likely hundreds of others that have had the same problem. One Lumber Jock reported getting two in a row with the problem. A problem that has documented for 4 years and the manufacturer has not bothered to fix.

A quick search on this site will gives you a lot of I do have that saw. After fine tuning it, it fulfills my needs. I like precision when I work. I had to set it up carefully at first, took some hours, but know everything is alright. I like it.
The mobile base is wonderful and there is enough power. A good blade makes the difference.
As a first saw I would recommend it. It all depends on what you do.

Tell me how ya’ll really feel about it. Thanks for the help guys. I think I’ll look at a different saw.

-- It is all in your perspective.